Gun



J. T. THOMPSON.

GUN.,

APPLICATION FILED MAA. a. 1920.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

f Sw NMP4@ D CA @AAN J. T. THOMPSON.

GUN.

APPLICATION FILED MAH. 8, 1920.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.!

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

` JoHN THOMPSON,l or"Niiwronfn KENTUCKY, AssIGNoR RYAN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUlfurlao STATES PATENT OFFICE.

or ONE-HALF To rHoivrAs F.

GUN.

Application filed March 8,l1920. Serial No.

To all/whom t may concern Be it known that I, JOHN T. THoMrsoN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newport, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guns, of which the following `is a specification.

My invention relates to firearms and more particularly to anew and improved lockinor means for breech closures.

-LThe present invention is particularly applicable to rearms having a reciprocating bolt. umerousmethods have heretofore been devised for locking such bolts, but these methods have in general required-a rotary movement either of the bolt proper or of a locking head carried 'bythe bolt on its translatory movement. This combined translatory and rota'ry movement of the reciprocating breech closure is undesirable since cams and cam-races or equivalent mechanical elements are required to impart the double motion, and an undue complication and multiplicity of parts results. This is even more true where the rotary part is a separate element but carried by the bolt proper and in this latter case there is also the lnecessity for an undesirably. heavy reciprocating element with itsy consequent shock and jars. -Devices'which involve these two motions of the bolt o'r of some of its constituent parts are moreover slower and more uncertain in their action than a device Where there is but bolt in locking.

Some devices heretofore devised have en' deavored to eliminate the above described diiiculties by avoiding a positive lock of a single motion of the anycharacter and having the recoil taken up by a very stiif spring and by the-inertia of a heav breech closure. Such structures are undesirable because of the shock Vcaused by the reciprocation of heavy parts-and the jar of the closing of the heavy breech closure impelled by the stiff spring. f

Inertia closures are practical only with relatively low breech pressures. The great mass necessary for an inertia breech closure for modern high powered arms with their high breechv pressures, prohibits the use of this type of closures with small arms. In some types of ordnance the problem Specification of Letters Patent.

has been solved to'an extent by the use of a breech closure operating in a direction radial to the axis of the bore. This' is practical where the weight of the breech closure is but a small proportion of that of the plece, but is impractical in small arms since the jar of a member operating radially would be not only.A exceedingly tiring to the operator but fata to any accuracy of sustained fire.

Itis an object of the present invention to provide a breech closure adapted for use in all types of guns in which a reciprocating bolt or similar breech closure is positively 'locked by a non-reciprocating member and in which the breech closure has noA other motion in either locking and unlocking than its reciprocation in opening and closing the chamber. It is an object to provide a breech lock of the character described which is both certain and eiiicient in operation and simple and relatively inexpensive in manufacture and which is composed of but few parts. It is an additional object to p rovide a positive lock of the rotary type in which no rotation of the breech closure is required, both locking and unlocking being accomplished by the movement of the lock, the lock being /iixed longitudinally relative to the firearm and not accompanying the bolt in its reciprocation. It is also an object to provide a lock of the character described whichv is particularly adaptedy for use with automatic or semi-automatic rifles. further object to provide new and improved means for the manual operation of breech' locks, the means being particularly adapted for use in connection with the type of lock herein described., Other and further objects will appear as the disclosure` proceeds.-

l y improved lock broadly comprises a bolt reciprocating 'relatively to the gun breech and a non-reciprocating locking ring encircling the bolt together. with interlocking means upon vb olt and ring. It further includes means for causing rotation of the lock relative to bolt to perform the locking and unlocking. A

This construction avoids lthe necessity for rotation of the bolt head and thus eliminates the friction occurring between the base of the cartridge and the face of the bolt head in It is a' Patented Nov.- 23, 1920.

, of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vi'ew taken online 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a section onv linel7-7 of Fig. 3;

' threaded thereto `bered to receive the Fig. 8 is a view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9.is a section showing a modified form of lock;

Fig. 10 is a developed view on a reduced scale showing the cams on 'bolt land ring lock in unlocked position;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, showinthe cams in locking position;

ig. 12 is a fragmentary view showing the actuator slot;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged vieu7 showing the relation of the cams on bolt and ring lock;

and

Fig. 14 is a section showing the manual lock opening means.

' The form of gun shown in comprises the cartridge chamber 17, the ejection openingy 18, the magazine opening 19 and lock chamber 20. They lock chamber is-closedby the member 21, and the rear of the receiver has the recoil housing 22 attached thereto.

The receiver 16 is longitudinally chamy\bolt` 23 which has formed thereon the lock-lugs 24, 24, and the higher actuating lugs 25,25. The bolt carries the bell crank firing -pin 26, pivoted thereto kby the screw 27 and moving in the slot 28 in the receiver; the extractor 29 pivoted thereto at 30; and the ejector 31 which has the lug 32 riding in the slot 33 in the receiver. The rear the bearing member 34 which bears a alnst the recoil spring 35.

The rear end o the spring 35 surrounds the the drawings buffer 36 and bears against the inner end of the recoil housing 22. The actuator 37 is attached to the bolt and reciprocates the slot 38 formed inv the receiver and recoil housing.

The bolt is surrounded by the ring lock 37 which rotates between the thrust rollers 39 and the counter-thrust rollers. 40 which bear upon the races 41 and42 respectively. The inner surface of the ring lock is slotted at 43,v 43, 'to permit the lugs 24 to pass the receiver 'member 1 6 having end of the bolt has' through when the ring is in the unlocked position. The front'of vthe rin lock is provided With cam surfaces 44, a act with the cam surfaces 45 of the lug's'24, and the rear face is provided with the cam surfaces 46 to coact with the cams 25. These cam surfaces extend in part above the slotted portions 43 of the-.ring lock and the lugs 25 are ofv such height that they cannot pass through the `slots but maintain a bearing against the cam surfaces.

The rear of actuator shaft 47 which carries the pin 48 projecting 'through the quadrant slot 49. in the bolt 23 and entering the axial groove 50 in the ring lock 37. The front end of the l shaft 47 has a bearing 51'in the bolt 23 and the reduced rear end has a bearing 52 inthe member 34. Surrounding. the reduced rear portion of the shaft 47 is the actuator ring 53 into which the actuator 37 is screwthreaded. Passing axially through the actuator`37 is the plungen 54 having the head 55 normally held outward by the spring 5,6.' The inner end of the plunger 54 carries the cone catch 57 and the shaft 47 has the cavity 58 adapted to receive this catch.

.The form of lock shown inFigu9 vis provided with the circumferential groove 60 and the spiral spring 61 fitting therein. One end of the springis attached to the receiver and the other to the ring lock. The spring is tensioned to normally rotate the ring to the locked position. The'action of the locking cams under the powder ypressure opens the lock as in the other forms and when the bolt is again closed and the locking lugs clear the ring the ,spring serves to rotate the ring into locked'position. In this form of the Adevice the rear actuating lugs 25 are not needed for the 'purpose of turning the ring lock butarefdesirable in order to insure that the lock will not move lforward sufficiently to fire the cartridge before thelock has been turned by the spring. The springvmay be vprovided simply as an auxiliary.

The operation of the gun shown is as fol# chamber empty, as shown in Fig. 1, the actuator 37', which is normally horizontal, is rotated 90 until it is vertical, passing through the portion 38 of the slot 38 asv shown in- Fig. 12. The head 55 is now pressed down which causes the cone catch 57 to interfit with the cavity 58 in the actuator shaft 47. With the head maintained depressed the actuator. is rotated downward through 90, the catch 57 causing the shaft 47 to rotate carrying with it the pin 48 and thereby causing the ring lockv 37 to rotate. Due to the relation of the cam surfaces 44 and 45 and 25 and 46. the bolt moves to the the bolt contains thehand apted to corear somewhat on thisl rotation, the actuaslot 38 and the pin 48 moving rearwardly in the slot 50. When the actuator'reaches the horizontal the cams are as shown in Fig. l0 and upon moving the actuator rearwardly through the 'slot 38 the bolt moves to the rear as shown in Fig. 2. The pressure upon the head may now be released.

A cartridge will now be placed in front of the bolt 23 by any suitable magazine or feeding means not a part of the present invention, or one may be placed by hand inthe chamber if desired. l

Upon releasing the actuator 37 the bolt 23 is carried forward by the force of the spring 35. When in its forward'motion the cam lug 25 strikes the steel portion 46 of the cam 46 on the yrear surface of the` ring lock 37 as shown in Fig. 10,v the force of the impact is such as to rotate the lock into the position shown in Fig. 11. The ring lock being mounted upon roller bearings takes but little force to rotate it. The cam surface 45 on the lug 25 is cut away at 45 to permit the start of this rotation. During this rotation the interlock between the actuator and actuator shaft having been released, the actuator remains horizontal although due to the interfit between the pin 48 and the ring lock 37 the shaft turns with the ring lock. A small clearance is provided between the shaft 47 and the 1bolt 23 andring 53 in order to eliminate friction in this' turning movement.

When the ring lock is fully turned into the position shown in Fig. llrthe main portion of the cam surfaces 45 of the lugs 25 are in intimate contact with the locking cam surfaces 44 on the face of the ring lock.

These surfaces are preferably placed upon the Blish angle as defined in the patent to Blish, 1,131,319, of March 9, 1915. This angle is such that the bolt remains locked until the powder pressure in the chamber as been `reduced to a safe limit when the cam surfaces move relative to each other and are unlocked bythe pressure exerted against the bolt face. At the instant when the lock is complete the upper portion of the bell crank firing pin contacts with the forward end of the groove 28, which forces the lower end of the pin against the primer, firing `the cartridge. It will -be noted that the upper guide surface of the groove 28 is on an angle such as to prevent the firing point extending out of the bolt face until the bolt is completely closed.

When the chamber pressure is reduced to a working pressure the pressure of the cam surface 45 against the surface 44 turns the l ring lock to the unlocked position and they residual pressure is sufficient to cause the bolt to move rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. The empty shell is car# ried to the rear with the bolt by the exl tractor 29 and the lug 32 on the ejector striking the rear end of the groove 33 causes the ejector to be forced forward relaejects the shell through which may readily be done through thel e]ection opening 18, the bolt may be drawn fully to the rear out of the receiver. The ring lock with its roller bearings and rolls may then be taken out by removing the member 21. The several members going to make up the actuating assembly on the bolt may be readily removed by unscrewing the various connections therebetween as is clearly apparent in Fig. 14. l f Y Y I My improved ring lock and its actuating means, both automatic and manual are independent of the other features of the lirearm to which it may be applied. The specific forms shown herewith are illustratlve only,- it being necessary to show a certain amount of other gun structure to clearly illustrate the appllcation of my invention.

If desired, suitable meansl may be provided to retain the bolt in its rearward position until released by a triggeror otherwise. This may be done by any suitable means, many of which are known to the art. Such means would operate independently of the lock and forms no part of the present invention.

It should be noted that a cartridge can# not be placed in the chamber and the bolt closed Without firing the cartridge, if the form of firing pin shown is used, but it is obvious that if desired the bolt may have a longitudinal passage therein provided with sired manner without inj any way modify; ing the operation of the ring lock.

I claim:

l. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, and a locking member4 adapted to rotate in a plane transverse to the axis of the bolt, said member being restrained from longitudinal movement,'and cam surfaces upon the bolt coperating with cam surfaces upon the forward face of the locking member whereby the locking member is rotated to unlocked'position by the rearward movement of the bolt. 2. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, and a locking member adapted to rotate in a plane transverse to the axis of the bolt, said member being restrained from longitudinal movement, andcam surfaces upon the bolt coperating with cam surfaces upon the for- Apermit relative ward ,face of the locking member whereby the locking member is rotated to unlocked position by certain predetermined pressures upon the bolt.

3. In afirearm, 'a reciprocating bolt, and a rotating locking member, said member being restrained from longitudinal movement, and cam surfaces upon the bolt coperating with cam surfaces upon the rear face of the locking member whereby 'the locking member'is rotated to locked position by the forward movement of the bolt.

4. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, and

' a rotating locking member, said member being restrained from longitudinal movement, resilientmeans urgingv the bolt forward, and cam surfaces upon the bolt coperating with cam surfaces upon the rear face of the locking Jmember whereby the locking member is rotated to locked position bythe forward movement of the bolt caused by said resilient means. l

5. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, and a rotating locking member, said member being restrained from longitudinal movement, andcam surfaces upon the bolt coperating with cam surfaces upon the locking member whereby the" locking member is rotated to unlocked position by certain predetermined pressures upon th faces uponi the vbolt coperating with cam surfaces upon the lock whereby the locking member is rotated to. locked position by the forward movement of the bolt caused by said resilient means.

` 6. In a firearm a reciprocating bolt and a rotating locking member, cam surfaces upon the bolt adapted to coperate with cam surfaces upon the locking member, the meeting 'surfaces being oblique and upon such an' angle as to maintain the surfaces in fixed relation under initial powder pressure but to movement when the powder pressure has reduced to a predetermined point.

7. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt anda rotating locking member, cam lugs adapted to lock the bolt relative'tothe locking mem' ber and rolling bearings in theJ rear of the locking member adapted to receive the thrust from the bolt to the lock.

8, In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt and a rotating locking member, cam lugs adapted to lock the-bolt relative to the lockin member and frusto-conical bearings in t e rear of the locking member adapted to receive the thrust due 4to, powder friction due to thel ressure transmitted from thc bolt to the ook, said bearings beingv further adapted to reduce the rotation of the lock.`

9. In a firearm, a reclprocating bolt and a i rotating locking member, the locking member having frusto-conical front and rear Y e bolt, resilient means urging the bolt forward, and other cam surthe due to powder pressure transmittedv surfaces on the rear the locked position when lthe faces, saidV faces being supported by thrust bearings adapted to reduce the friction lof rotation. f

10. In a rearm, a reciprocatin bolt, a rotatingv locking member restraine against longitudinal movement and an actuator adapted to reciprocate saidbolt and positively to rotate said loclng member.

11. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, a rotatin locking member and an actuator adapte to reciprocate lsaid bolt 'and positively to rotate said locking member, said actuator being normally disconnected from the locking member. J 12. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, a rotating locking member,'a slot upon the locking-member, a ,pin fitting therein, said pin being attached to an actuator shaft, an actuator, and vmeans to detachably connect said actuator to said actuator shaft whereby movement of said actuator may be transmitted to the locking member through the actuator shaft, the pin, and the slot and thereby to -rotatesaid locking member to the unlocked position. p

13.. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, a rotating lockin member, a slot upon the inner surface o the locking member, a`pin fitting therein, said pin being attached to an actuator shaft, the actuator shaft being contained in the -bolt and the pin extending laterally through the bolt, an actuator, and means to detachably connect said actuator to said actuator shaft, whereby movement of said actuator may be transmitted to the lock ing member through the actuator shaft, the pin, and the slot and thereby to rotate said locking member to the unlocked position.

14.. In a firearm, a reci rocating bolt and a rotating'locking mem er encircling the bolt, longitudinally extending locking lugs upon said bolt, cam surfaces on the front faces of the locking member ada ted to cooperate with'the rear faces of t e locking lugs when said locking member is in locked position, grooves in the locking member adapted -to permit the locking lugs to extend through said member when in the unlocked position, and tov thereby restrain it from rotation.

' 15. In a firearm, a reci rocatingbolt and a rotating locking member encircling the bolt, actuating lugs upon the bolt and cam face of the lockin member ada ted to coperate therewith w ereby the sai actuating lugs will cause the locking member to rotate yfrom the unlocked to bolt is moved forward into closed position.

16'. In a firearm, a reci rocating bolt and a rotating locking mem r encircling the bolt, lon tudinally extending locking lugs upon sai bolt,- cam surfaces on the front faces of the locking member ada ted to cooperate with t/he rear faces of t e locking lugs when said loclnng member .is in the locked position, grooves in the locking member adapted to permit the locking lugs to pass through said member when in the unlocked position, actuating lugsupon the bolt and cam surfaces on therear face of the locking member adapted to coperate therewith whereby the said actuating lugs will cause the locking member to rotate from the unlocked to the locked position when the bolt is moved forward into closed position.

17. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt and a rotating locking member encircling the bolt, longitudinally extending locking lugs upon said bolt, cam surfaces on the front `faces of the locking member adapted to cooperate with the rear faces of the locking lugs when said locking member is. in the locked position, grooves in the locking member adapted to permit the locking lugs to pass through said member when in the unocked position, actuating lugs upon the bolt and cam surfaces on the rear face of the locking member adapted to coperate therewith whereby the said actuating lugs will cause the locking member to rotate from the unlocked to the locked position when the bolt is moved forward into closed position, the locking lugs fitting in the grooves in the locking member and maintaining that -member in unlocked position substantially until theactuating lugs contact with their coperating cams. y

18. In a firearm, a reci rocating bolt and a rotating locking mem er encircling the bolt,longitudinally extending locking lugs upon said bolt, cam surfaces on the front faces of the locking member adapted to cooperate with the rear faces of the locking lugs when said locking member is 1n the locked position, grooves in the lockmg member adapted to permit the locking lugs .to pass through said member when in the unlocked position, actuating lugs upon the bolt and cam surfaces on the rear face ofthe of greater height than the locking lugs and y than the grooves through the locking member whereby they are prevented from passing into said grooves, and a portion of the cam surface on thel rear face of the locking member extending above said grooves.

19. In a firearm, a reciprocating bolt and a rotating locking member restrained against longitudinal movement and ha\ ing a torsion spring associated therewith and adapted to normally maintain the lock in locked position.

20. 1n a firearm, a reciprocating bolt, and v a rotating locking member, said member being restrained from longitudinal movement and being so associated with the bolt as to be rotated from locked to unlocked position by the rearward movement of' the bolt, and aA torsion spring associated with the locking member and adapted to rotate the said member from unlocked to locked position.

21. In a firearm, a reciprocatingA bolt, a rotating locking member, said member being restrained from longitudinal movement and being sol associated with the bolt as to be rotated from locked to unlocked position by the rearward movement of the bolt, and a torsion spring seated in a circumferential groove about said locking member and adapted to rotate the said member from unlocked to locked position. t

Signed by me at New Canaan, Connecticut this 21st day of February, 1920.

JOHN T. THOMPSON. 

